Improvement in horseshoes



- J. VANDEGRIFT.

Horseshoe.

No. 220,194. Patentd Sept. 30.1879.

UNITED S'I'A'I'Es -PATENT OFFICE.

JOHN VANDEGRIFT, OF LANGHORNE, PENNSYLVANIA.

IMPROVEMENT IN HORSESHOES.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 220,194, datedSeptember 30, 1879 application filed December 26, 1878.

To all 'whom it may concern:

Be it known-that I,'JOHN VANDEGRIFT, of Langhorne, in the county ofBucks and State of Pennsylvania, have invented a new and usefulImprovement in Horseshoes; and I hereby declare that the following is afull, clear, and eXact description thereof.

The object of my invention is to provide a shoe especially for the cureof contracted feet in horses, which shoe is simple in construction,easily operated, and very efl'ective for the purpose above mentioned;and my invention consists in combining with a shoe a screw passingthrough the heel thereof, for the purpose of expanding it, and a guideand protecting-plate welded or otherwise secured to one side of the heelof the shoe beneath such screw, all of which will now be fully explainedand set forth.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a perspective view of mydevice, and Fig. 2 a view of the wrench.

A represents a horseshoe, made from a single piece of steel, providedwith heel-calks a a' and which I can use with a toe-calk, if (lesired;or the heel-calks may be made very low, so that toe-calks areunnecessary. A 'hole is made cntirely through the heel-calk a', while asmall opening is formed on the inner side of the opposite calk, a, inwhich a-screw-bar, B, bears, said .bar als'o passing through the openingin the call: a', which is correspondingly screw-threadecL' O is a plateor bar of angula-r form in crosssection, which is welded to theheel-calk a in such a manner that the upper surface bears against theunder surface of the calk a', while the ledge formed by its angularshape serves as a guide in the movement of the calk when the shoe isexpanded.

E, Fig. 2, is a wrench which fits the nut on the end of the bar B.

Upon each inner side of the shoe is formed a projection, c, which, whenthe shoe is fitted to the foot, will catch and hold the rear portionfirmly. The shoe with this exception is applied in the usual manner.

The operation of the device will be readily understood. The shoe isfitted to the hoof, as above stated, and expanded by its own elasticitya little from day to day by applying the wrench to the screw-bar. Thehoof is gradually enlarged, and a new growth of hoof commences to form.This operation is continued until a cure is efl'ected.

It may be desirable in some instances to lighten the front portion ofthe shoe a little,

ain order to make it more elastic.

The advantages of my device have been repeatedly demonstrated by its useupon horses suffering with contracted feet. It has never failed to curesuch disease, and, while it is so efficient in operation, its simplicityof construction makes it cheap to manufacture.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire toobtain by Letters Patent, is-- 1. In combination with a horseshoe havingthe screw-bar B, the guide and protecting plate G, welded to one of theheel-calks, and having the other heel-calk bearing thereon,substantially as described and shown.

2. The horseshoe described, made in one piece, and having the calks aa', screw-bar B, plate O, and projection c c, all substantially as andfor the purposes set forth.

JOHN VANDEGRIFT.

Witnesses:

Louis H. DIOKERsoN,

WM. MARTINDELL.

